Comprehensive Description

General Description

A moderate-sized, predominantly black cicada with yellowish-orange markings. The relatively narrow forewings (width:length 0.29 - 0.31) will segregate rimosa from O. bella and O. occidentalis. Very similar to O. canadensis; to reliably separate specimens of rimosa from canadensis the structure of the tymbal must be examined, which has 7 to 8 (rarely 9) ribs in rimosa and 10 to 11 ribs in canadensis (Alexander et al. 1972). In Michigan, rimosa is marked with a brighter orange compared to the tan markings of canadensis, but it is not clear if this trait holds up for Alberta populations since museum material is limited. There are likely habitat and song differences as well, but this data is also lacking for Alberta populations.